Sound Systems and Dialects of Catalan: Nord-Occidental vs. Valencian

Detailed Phonetic Notes and Correspondences

These notes detail specific sound correspondences and realizations, often involving voicing, devoicing, and affrication:

• /P/ to /b/ (e.g., bata); /d/ to /f/ or /v/ (e.g., v garlic); /t/ to /d/ (e.g., temps, dit).
• Sibilants and Affricates: /s/ to /z/; /ts/ (e.g., tserpo); /dz/ (e.g., tretz).
• Liquids: /l/ (e.g., licor); /r/ (e.g., pare); /rr/ (e.g., parr).
• Palatalization and Nasals: Egix, lloc, c units, gola, ola Farig, quan, min, nan and FLAR.
• Vowel and Nasal Variations: Neu, nap, sang, c and r, Ningú, mel, llargada, llarg, forç (if not sounded).

Key Phonological Processes

• Elision (Emmudiment)

  Reduction or deletion of final consonants.

  • Stops: Camp, botó.
  • Clicks/Rhotics: Saber governat, vinsant.

• Pronunciation (Awareness)

  Specific realizations of clusters.

  • Examples: Centatge, Sant Antoni, fent-ho, amb ella.

• Neutralization and Sound Masking

  Voicing/devoicing phenomena. Examples include: seb / w / trencat / t / g home / k / f you do rrible / vu / PE at the furnace exit / the more it s / z / g and cowardly lle / d and.

• Assimilation

  Sounds changing due to context. Examples: Sab now /b/ /p/, les dones /s/ /z/, en Pau /m/, en cantant /n/.

• Gemination (Geminació)

  Consonant lengthening. Examples: TLL (e.g., batlle), /mm/ (e.g., setmana), /bb/, /gg/.

Dialectal Variations in Catalan

Nord-Occidental Catalan

• Phonetics (F)

  Tendency to articulate [a] for unstressed /e/ (initial, or before a palatal consonant). Palatalization of the 'ginoll' group (e.g., tarragoní in Fenyó).

• Morphology and Syntax (MS)

  Desinence [-o] in the 1st person singular present tense (e.g., canto). Pronunciation [-e] in the 3rd person singular desinence in some tenses (e.g., cante). Survival of the archaic masculine definite article: lo/los.

• Lexicon and Specific Words (LS)

  Characteristic words: atausar, esparver, padrí (grandfather), escarratxigar (splash), sangardilla (lizard), braçol (pitcher), mixó (bird).

Valencian Catalan

• Phonetics (F)

  Tonic vowel system with seven sounds; unstressed system with five. Labiodental articulation of [v] (e.g., in dansa). Pronunciation of the final /r/ (except in the northern and southern tips).

• Morphology and Syntax (MS)

  Desinence [-e] in the 1st person singular of 1st conjugation verbs (e.g., cante). Specific desinences in the 2nd and 3rd conjugations (e.g., temes, viu). Use of unstressed possessives. Weak pronoun order: IC + CDs (e.g., li ho dóna).

• Lexicon and Specific Words (LS)

  Frequent use of diminutives. Characteristic words: escombrar (sweep), tornar (again).